Samantha Hall March 5, 2013

Nike, Incorporated: Just Do It Nike Incorporated is the world’s leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel, headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon and is valued at $10.7 billion. Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight founded Nike, Inc. on January 25, 1964 under the name, Blue Ribbon Sports. Today, Nike Inc. employs over 44,000 people worldwide. The company name comes from the Greek goddess of victory, which is what the company wants to bring to all its consumers, as well as inspiration and innovation, based on their mission statement. (Nike, Inc. 2013). Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world with highly recognized trademarks like, “Just Do It” and the swoosh logo. In 1964 Nike’s goal was to distribute low-cost, high-quality athletic shoes to American consumers in an attempt to break Germany’s domination of the domestic industry. Today their mission statement, which resembles a vision statement, has evolved into,
‘To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.” (Nike, Inc. 2013)
Today Nike’s primary product focus is athletic footwear designed for specific-sport and/or leisure use. They also sell athletic apparel and equipment. Nike Inc.’s wholly owned affiliates are top brands like, Converse, Inc., Hurley International, LLC, Jordan Brand, and Nike Golf. (Nike, Inc. 2013). As a part of their growth strategy, they will continue to invest in opportunities that will generate the highest possible long-term returns for the company but specifically the shareholders. For a company to be successful they need their employees to feel inspired and motivated. Nike has created a corporate culture rich with employee loyalty and team spirit. The company calls its headquarters a campus instead of an office. Employees are called players, supervisors are coaches, and meetings are huddles. The company has expanded on its mission statement with 11 maxims that every employee can use to guide the decisions they make and an excellent way to communicate the mission and vision of the company to employees. (Payne, J 2008). These maxims encourage employees to value innovation, the brand, the customer, and to be motivated to move fast in exploiting new opportunities. Nike does not have a specific vision statement but their mission statement and maxims resemble parts of it. Nike has been committed to their customers and providing them with high-quality products for many years. Their mission statement is devoted directly at the consumers; it is telling them that Nike does what it does so that they are inspired. Looking at the Nike website you will find everything from pictures of upcoming products to a section where things can be customizable to the customers specific needs. Nike has many competitors like Reebok and Adidas so they have to stay focused on what the customer wants or the customer will go elsewhere. Nike Inc.’s mission statement does not mention what products or services they provide but anyone who hears the name “Nike” or “Just Do It” will know what to expect. Nike uses research and development to create new and innovative products for its consumers. This is a well-known fact to the public. Nike has many celebrity endorsement deals that help spread brand awareness and also inspire their customers. An example of this is the Michael Jordan brand sneakers, he helped design them and wears them personally, so customers get inspiration if they wear the sneakers to play basketball they can be great like Michael Jordan. (Nike, Inc. 2013). This is another way that Nike’s mission statement indirectly shows how innovative they are as a company.
Nike has been criticized for contracting with factories in countries such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico because of their unsafe work conditions and failure to comply with country labor laws. Though nothing is